The Romulus Equation by Darren Craske Read Free Book Online Page B

die!’
    â€˜I’m touched by your faith, Mother,’ Renard said, opening his eyes.
    Destine was forced to grab onto Prometheus for stability. ‘
Mon Dieu!
How long have you been conscious?’
    â€˜Ever since the medic arrived,’ said Renard, his breath noticeably shallow.
    â€˜Whilst he was
operating
on you?’ asked Prometheus. ‘You never said a bloody word! Not even a whimper! What kind of unfeeling monster are you?’
    â€˜Oh, I
feel
, ape-man,’ seethed Renard. ‘I felt
everything
. I admit, the poker was a little excruciating, but as Mother quite rightly says: I have a strong will.’ The Frenchman tried to push himself up on his elbows, but then flopped back down as ice-cold daggers stabbed his guts. Still he did not give voice to his pain. ‘But I heard what he said – that I might not make it through the night – and now I have to decide whether I wish to play along or not. It seems that you are not as in control as you thought, Mother.’
    â€˜What do you mean?’ gasped Destine. ‘You
must
live!’
    â€˜I think not,’ Renard replied. ‘Especially now that I know you and the ape-man are reliant upon my survival in order to… to do what exactly? Infiltrate the Hive and save good old Cornelius from certain doom? That will not do. That will not do at all. But I am glad that it was you that murdered me, Mother. You gave me life… and now you have given me death. Rather poetic,
ne pensez-vous pas
?’
    â€˜You will
live
, damn you!’ shouted Destine. ‘Even if I have to do battle with the Devil himself – he will not claim your soul!’
    â€˜We shall see,’ said Renard. ‘Soon my strength will be gone and I shall die… and then your little plan will have failed.’
    Destine ground her teeth. ‘I have not failed anything yet. You know that I can read emotions better than words on a page,
mon fils
… but you have no idea what else I am capable of. My empathic abilities have become keener than you know. I cannot just read emotions any longer… I can
create
them!’ The Frenchwoman stepped closer to Renard’s bed, pounding the words into his skull. ‘I can penetrate your every thought, your every feeling. I can force my will onto your own, breaking down your defences and rewriting it to my whim. Know this, Antoine: I am going to save your life even if it
kills
you!’

Chapter IX
The Dead End
    Some days later, the
Victorious
glided into Civitavecchia’s harbour. Situated on Italy’s Tyrrhenian coast, the port had faithfully served Rome since before the city of seven hills had birthed the empire that grew to dominate much of the known world.
    Cornelius Quaint had been up on the top deck since sunrise, eager to begin his task. Bathed in amber sunlight, the port was serene – broken only by the droning wail of the ship’s horn. The journey to Italy had been uneventful, and Quaint had relished the opportunity to distil his thoughts. What he was about to do was risky, he knew. Taking on an enemy such as the Hades Consortium unprepared was tantamount to suicide, but he planned to change all that. Unusually for him, he would take things one step at a time, and there was much work to be done before he could even think about confronting Remus, if the man was even still alive. It had been almost fifty years since his parents had been killed. What if their killer was also long since dead? No matter, Quaint would find out either way and he would not rest until he had learned the truth, the Hades Consortium be damned.
    Bidding farewell to the crew that he had intentionally avoided since beginning his voyage, the conjuror set off down the ship’s gangplank towards a row of waiting horses and carts. Approaching the nearest driver, a leathery-skinned man with an array of makeshift tattoos decorating his arms, Quaint quickly reacquainted himself with his Italian. It